Chapter 1411: Platinum Eye
After exiting the No. 9 elevator passage, Xu Huo instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes. Although the scene before him was bustling with traffic, all the vehicles were concentrated on the ground. The city, which adored the color platinum, was almost entirely filled with similar metallic hues within his field of vision—buildings, the ground, transportation, and robots slowly walking along the streets. Only the occasional floating advertising projectors that swept through the air brought colorful changes with their promotional displays.
"What are you standing there for?" Li Kun waved down a flying car. "High-altitude traffic is banned here. Ordinary people's aircraft stick close to the ground. Anything above twenty meters in the air is a dedicated government channel."
The floating advertising projectors surrounding the car all moved aside as the passengers got in, and they stopped their ads, switching to a single open mechanical eye:
"Platinum Eye welcomes your arrival. We will fulfill any of your needs."
The aircraft slid into the street, merging into the slow-moving flow of traffic. Li Kun continued talking, "...As you can see, things like fare evasion or theft aren't really considered illegal in Platinum Eye. The enforcement robots can't be bothered to deal with them. But if you speed, you'll be caught within a minute, and it's a serious crime."
"Platinum Eye has strict management over intelligent machinery," Xu Huo said. He had already noticed this on the ship. Although machines everywhere were equipped with weapons, there were significant—or rather, flexible—restrictions on their use. Generally, attacking a robot wouldn't even warrant a warning. Ordinary people also trusted robots greatly; it was common to see people chatting with robots or asking them to help watch their children.
"The atmosphere in Platinum Eye is great." Once in the car, Li Kun completely relaxed. He rolled down the window, watching the shifting advertisements outside, and said slowly, "This is a city truly under machine control. Those new district government cities are nothing compared to it. In Platinum Eye, unless it's absolutely private territory, almost everywhere is under the watch of the machine's eye. Ordinary people's lives are maximally protected, and they're well-off. You could call it a paradise on earth."
He paused, then added a warning, "It's best not to cause trouble here. If someone bothers you, you can call the police, and robots will handle it. It's fine to take a small loss. If a player causes major damage here, they'll be blacklisted by the city, and even the black market won't sell you weapons."
"Most people come to Platinum Eye to buy some good equipment. Getting blacklisted isn't worth it."
"But with me as your guide, don't worry. I'll tell you all the places you need to be careful about."
Li Kun said with a grin.
Xu Huo nodded to show he understood, then looked at the travel and shopping guide on the car.
Golden Tung City, more commonly known as Platinum Eye, was famous for producing precision instruments and high-tech weapons. He had originally planned to visit here soon anyway, and since Li Kun said the place where they could trade the water maker was also here, he came along.
From the outside, this city didn't look much different from other technologically advanced district cities, but once they entered the city limits, a constant vibration from deep underground never stopped.
Xu Huo wasn't sure if Li Kun had noticed it. He tried to use his vertical pupil to peer underground, but found nothing.
Still, this was a city famous for its machinery. It was perfectly normal for there to be an ultra-large mechanical operation underground. Just from the scale, it probably covered most of the city.
"Star Moon Intersection is on Fifth Avenue. It'll take two hours to get there. We'll pass by Two-Fifths Avenue, which is the trading market—very lively." Li Kun tapped the projected map in the car. A line extended from their current location, and he pointed at a colored marker.
Fifth Avenue and Two-Fifths Avenue were both main streets in Golden Tung City. The city completely separated living, working, and entertainment areas. Starting from the central "Platinum Eye" plaza, it extended in five directions, with one main street running through each direction. These five streets were divided by fractions.
For example, the Star Moon Intersection they were heading to was on the side of Fifth Avenue. That area was mainly for machinery trading and related industries, such as tool-making shops, repair shops, wholesale and collection of props and weapon materials, and specialized practice grounds.
Two-Fifths Avenue was for free trade. Platinum Eye's specialty foods and special services were all here. It was a commercial area combining food, entertainment, and leisure. The robot "companion sleep" service customization that they had seen multiple times along the way was located here.
That's right. In Platinum Eye, you could rent robots at a low price. They could serve as guides, shopping assistants, chat companions, or even for eating and sleeping together.
Seeing Li Kun constantly flipping through robot service ads, Xu Huo couldn't help but ask, "Don't all robots look pretty much the same?"
Li Kun quickly closed the page, coughed dryly, and said, "That's different."
As for what was different, he didn't elaborate. Instead, he gave Xu Huo an ambiguous look, letting him figure it out for himself.
Xu Huo calmly stared back at him until the smile on Li Kun's face gradually faded.
"Don't be so tense. Once you're in Platinum Eye, there's basically no danger," Li Kun said, rubbing his hands together. "After making such a huge windfall, I couldn't even sleep on the train from excitement. Now I need to relax properly. Don't just think about instance upgrades and stuff. Enjoying yourself a bit won't hurt."
Xu Huo finally showed a hint of a smile. "You have a point."
"Right?" Li Kun chuckled, then added with a hint of nostalgia, "Anyway, you'll know once you've tried it."
The main purpose of this trip was to sell the water maker, so business came first. They didn't stop when passing through Two-Fifths Avenue and went straight into the Fifth Avenue market.
The streets here crisscrossed in a maze. Everywhere you looked, there were signs hung by tool-makers. Many finished props and weapons were displayed outside. There were also many shops selling props, and many of them advertised that you could try them out. If you weren't satisfied, you could return them at any time with no charge.
Of course, with so many shops on the streets, it was hard to stand out. So many stores used hot-bodied robots to lure customers, both male and female—a real rat race.
"Don't bother with these. They're all common stuff," Li Kun said. "When the deal is done, I'll take you to a good place. The props and weapons there are guaranteed quality, and you can even custom-order them."
"Are there any famous tool-makers here?" Xu Huo casually took a miniature advertising device from a robot that was winking at him.
"Platinum Eye can't be short of tool-makers. As long as you have money, you can negotiate for any level." Li Kun waved his hand grandly, indicating he could help look into it. Just then, the car stopped, and he pointed at a towering building that seemed to pierce the clouds. "We're here!"